Opinion Presidential candidate requirement..

[jeremyemilio]

This is probably an idea someone has already mentioned at some point, but in my opinion - you shouldn't be able to run for president unless you've first been a governor of a state.

-It's the only job that is remotely close in terms of the responsibilities.
-It gives voters a real track record to base their decisions off of.
-Shows you're serious about a presidential run after having been held accountable by voters for years as governor first, as opposed to just skipping all of public service first where you're held accountable for the success and failure of a state

And this isn't a shot on any of our past presidents (recent or older), just something I think would make sense.

If we want a true democracy, we should be looking at fewer restrictions, not more. If you don't want to vote for someone who hasn't been a governor, then don't. But preventing the majority of people from voting for their preferred candidate because you think they should be a governor first seems pretty openly undemocratic, on the face of it.

I feel the same about age minimums and country of origin. If the person the majority of voters want as their president is a 33 year old who was born in India, then let them vote. The whole point of Democracy is that the people get what they want.

 

[jeremyemilio]

I see people saying no requirements, but isn't that insane to be able to hold the most powerful position on Earth and only have to be 45 and be a born citizen? Most companies wouldn't even hire for entry level management with zero qualifications.

So don't vote for them. What is so hard to understand? It's not about taking away someone's "right" to be president. It's about taking away the rights of the people to vote for whomever they prefer. And, yes, every further requirement is a further anti-democratic limitation on the will of the people.

 

[GrantB13]

So don't vote for them. What is so hard to understand? It's not about taking away someone's "right" to be president. It's about taking away the rights of the people to vote for whomever they prefer. And, yes, every further requirement is a further anti-democratic limitation on the will of the people.

Why can't we vote for other positions like Supreme Court judges or high ranking military officials? I don't remember voting for the head of the FBI on the ballot. Why isn't that process directly democratic instead of democratic - republic?